Saul Persecutes Messiah’s Community

8 Now Saul was in agreement with Stephen’s execution. On that day a great persecution arose against Messiah’s community in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the emissaries. ² Some devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.

³ But Saul was destroying Messiah’s community, entering house after house; and dragging off men and women, he was throwing them into prison.

The Good News Spreads to Samaria

⁴ Now those who had been scattered went around proclaiming the Word. ⁵ Philip went down to the main city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. ⁶ The crowds were paying close attention to what Philip was saying—as they both heard and saw the signs that he was doing. ⁷ For unclean spirits were coming out of many who were plagued, shrieking with a loud voice. Many paralyzed and crippled were healed also. ⁸ So there was great joy in that city.

⁹ Now a man named Simon had been practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, saying he was someone great. ¹⁰ They all were paying special attention to him, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called ‘Great.’” ¹¹ And they kept paying attention to him, because for a long time he had astonished them with his magical arts. ¹² But when they believed Philip proclaiming the Good News about the kingdom of God and the name of Messiah Yeshua, both men and women were immersed. ¹³ Even Simon himself believed; and after being immersed, he continued with Philip. And when he saw signs and great miracles happening, he was continually amazed.

¹⁴ Now when the emissaries in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the message of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵ They came down and prayed for them to receive the Ruach ha-Kodesh. ¹⁶ For He had not yet come upon them; they had only been immersed in the name of the Lord Yeshua. ¹⁷ Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Ruach ha-Kodesh.

¹⁸ Now when Simon saw that the Ruach ha-Kodesh was given through the laying on of hands by the emissaries, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, “Give this power to me, too—so that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Ruach ha-Kodesh.”

²⁰ Peter said to him, “May your silver go to ruin, and you with it—because you thought you could buy God’s gift with money! ^{[a] 21} You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. ²² Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be pardoned. ²³ For I see in you the poison of bitterness and the bondage of unrighteousness!”

²⁴ Simon replied, “Pray for me, so that none of what you have said may come upon me.”

²⁵ So when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the Good News to many Samaritan villages.

An Ethiopian Asks about Isaiah 53

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Get up, and go south on the road going down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) ²⁷ So he got up and went. And behold, an Ethiopian eunuch—an official who was responsible for all the treasure of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians—had traveled to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸ and was now returning. Sitting in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

²⁹ The Ruach said to Philip, “Go, catch up with this chariot.”

³⁰ Philip ran up and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. ³² Now the passage of Scripture that he was reading was this:

³⁴ The eunuch replied to Philip, “Please tell me, who is the prophet talking about—himself or someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he proclaimed the Good News about Yeshua.

³⁶ Now as they were going down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, water! What’s to prevent me from being immersed?”

^{37  [c] 38} He ordered the chariot to stop. They both got down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and Philip immersed him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Ruach Adonai snatched Philip away.^[d] The eunuch saw no more of him, for he went on his way, rejoicing.

⁴⁰ But Philip found himself at Azotus. And as he passed through, he kept proclaiming the Good News to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.